This invention relates to a convertible vehicle with a roof which comprises at least two roof sections.
From U.S. patent specification 2,812,975 a convertible vehicle is known which has several fixed roof sections which are moved parallel against each other, in order to open said sections, and which can be inserted into the body in a stacked position. In this case, all roof sections are provided only at one main bearing distributed to both sides of the vehicle. Consequently, said bearing must bear the entire load of the roof sections, and the rod assembly sections must be dimensioned appropriately. This involves a high vehicle weight. In addition, only one driving element is provided at each vehicle side for the swiveling motion of the overall system, which accordingly must control the entire motion of the roof sections and, therefore, also must be dimensioned similarly with the above disadvantage. Also required are driving elements between the roof sections, in order to achieve the stacked depositing of said sections. This requires high expenditure for synchronization.
DE 196 42 152 A1 shows a convertible vehicle, in which a first movable unit of the roof comprises three roof sections and a second movable unit, and a second movable unit of the roof comprises a rear window, which can be deposited. The two movable units are structurally separate from each other, and each is provided with independent driving elements. In this the problem arises that the motions of the separate individual parts of the apparatus must be arranged in tandem, which extends the opening or closing time of the roof. Further, this design requires costly synchronization of the various drives, so as to enable the motion sequences to be effected independently, without interference.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a convertible vehicle, in particular, a convertible vehicle with a rear seat, which has several separate roof sections which can move against each other, in which is to be achieved an overall total lower weight and lower load of movable parts, in particular, the bearings.
The inventive division of the roof into several movable units is achieved in that the individual bearings and rod assembly sections, which are allocated to the individual movable units, must carry a smaller load. Therefore, these parts, if dimensioned smaller, can be designed with a lower weight. As a result of the mechanically forced coupling of the parts supporting the respective movable unit, nevertheless, only a single drive is required for all movable units, because the application of force upon a movable unit forcibly produces a displacement of one or other movable units. Therefore, one can dispense with the synchronization of several drives, or the development of several driving elements which are arrange in tandem on one side of the vehicle. Even with manual operation, in which the drive is effected by the user, these advantages remain, since they only exert force upon a movable unit and do not have to be concerned with the correct sequence of depositing or closing the roof section. This eliminates a wrong operation. Compared with individually controlling the roof sections, this reduces the time for opening or closing the roof.
When designing three roof sections arranged in tandem, a four- or five-seater convertible vehicle can also easily be provided with an inventive roof, which then may have the appropriate length to cover a large passenger space. If the two front sections of the roof then are combined into one movable unit and are maintained via a joint main bearing, the mechanical costs for this type of convertible vehicle can be kept low.
The linking of movable units can be achieved by simple means via mechanical coupling members, such as a coupling rod, which effect a forced coupling of the guide rod assembly components allocated to the varying movable units. These coupling members do not appreciably increase weight, because said members can be designed as simple steel profiles, aluminum profiles, or similar.
If the two front roof sections are interconnected by a four-link, which is particularly advantageous, said sections can be deposited parallel to each other, so that the space requirement for depositing is small. This requires no separate drive between the roof sections. The displacement of roof sections against each other, in particular, is advantageously supported by another four-link which interacts with the first link chain. The space requirement for the deposited roof is particularly small, if the front roof sections in the deposited position parallel to the rear roof section are maintained, while the vehicle is in horizontal position.
Other inventive advantages and features result from the embodiments of the object of the invention, as described in the following and shown in the accompanying drawings.